If there’s one thing we would shout from the rooftops over and over again, it’s that SEO is an important piece of the marketing puzzle. And lately? AI has been changing exactly how it works (if we’re being honest, it has changed a lot of other things too!). AI technology is relatively new, but it's now incredibly accessible for everyone, and as small business owners, it’s our job to know about AI and SEO so we can adapt before we get left behind (and adapt FAST).

Today, we’re answering:

• How AI is changing SEO for small business owners?
• What is SGE?
• What is GEO?
• What are AI overviews in Google search results?
• What are some tips to help small business owners optimize for AI-driven search?

 Whew—that’s a lot. Let’s get started.

How AI is changing SEO for small business owners

As AI technology evolves, it’s training its users (read: humans) to interact differently with search platforms, which is in turn prompting search engines to adapt to these changes. This shift means that we as small businesses need to stay updated with AI-driven SEO strategies to stay competitive and make sure we can continue to get in front of our people when they need us.

Here are 3 concrete examples to show you what we mean.

1. We Have More Places to Search

The first thing we need to know about AI and SEO is that it’s not just about Google anymore. In fact, people are already relying on AI for search everywhere—from Meta AI to chatbots on websites. And while it can be kind of scary to think about AI and SEO, we think it’s actually a really good thing that more platforms are embracing search elements because it means the content you spend so much time on is longer lasting. 

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2. How we are using keywords is changing

Another change we are seeing is that search queries are becoming longer, more detailed, and layered as people search for more precise answers. This shift reflects our want and need for highly specific information (why get generic answers if you can get the answer?), pushing businesses to focus on long-tail keywords and create content that directly addresses more nuanced queries. You can thank ChatGPT for this. 

As a result, effective SEO now involves anticipating these complex searches and providing comprehensive, personalized responses to meet your ideal customer’s needs. 

We’ve always tried to recommend small businesses avoid super popular terms that are competitive and hard to rank for, but as AI and SEO evolve this is going to ring even more true.

3. Google is bringing AI answers into its search engine.

This last one is a big one. Google is implementing AI into its search engine in a way that can gather all the information on the internet and create a quick summary in order to give its searchers the best result/and most helpful answer. And while the jury is still out on this one, we think it’s another sign that small businesses everywhere need to focus on creating content with long-tail keywords that goes beyond basic information that AI can answer.

The long and short of it is that AI and SEO are changing, and that means small businesses have a chance to make major gains with SEO. Let’s be honest, most people will overlook all of this and be too lazy to make changes or too busy to prioritize it (until it’s too late!). Don’t let this be you!

As you start to optimize for AI and SEO, here are some definitions you need to know.

What is SGE?

SGE stands for Search Generative Experience. With SGE, it means that search engines can give searchers more detailed and relevant answers right in the search results, without actually clicking through and going to a website to get the answer to their question. SGE focuses on the user’s search experience, with a goal of streaming the search process so that people get high-quality results faster.

What is GEO?

GEO, on the other hand, stands for Generative Engine Optimization. This focuses more on improving the backend of the search engine, intending to refine exactly how search engines generate and rank results (so that more people get results that feel tailored to them).

What are AI overviews in Google search results?

AI overviews in Google search results can seem strange, but the reality is they are likely to become the new “featured snippets” and provide synthesized answers to user questions directly within the search page. As far as we know, Google determines what to include in an AI overview by analyzing the most authoritative and relevant content available, assessing factors like content quality, page authority, and context. This means SEO isn’t just going to be about writing great and optimized blog content—it’s going to probably be impacted by your PR efforts as well.

9 Tips to Help Small Business Owners Optimize For AI-driven Search

Now that we’ve shared a lot of the “what you need to know about AI and SEO”, let’s talk about how you can put it into practice and actually use what you know to get your small business to rank on Google.

1. Cite Authoritative Sources

When you’re writing for Google, bring receipts. Including quotes, statistics, and real data from authoritative sources can significantly boost your credibility (which in turn, can make you look like a reliable, trustworthy source to Google). 

‍2. Start Your Digital PR Tour

While you’re out there citing authoritative sources, don’t forget to get yourself some mentions too! Getting mentioned by other reputable websites and media outlets not only increases your visibility but it also enhances your credibility in the eyes of search engines. Reach out to industry bloggers, contribute (or swap!) guest posts, sign up for services like HARO/Connectively, and engage in online communities to build your digital footprint.

3. Lean into Google’s EEAT

EEAT stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, and Google has admitted that it uses these factors to evaluate the quality of content on the internet. 

As you start to write content that you hope will rank on Google, ask yourself:

1. Am I showing that I have first-hand experience here?
2. Am I showcasing my level of knowledge on the topic at hand?
3. Is my overall website/brand an authority in the industry?
4. Is my content accurate, honest, and safe? 

4. Always be thorough and helpful 

The truth is, too many of us get caught up trying to write for search engines and we forget about the real people we want to help with our content. If you write detailed, useful content designed for the person seeking information or an answer, you’re more likely to rank on Google than if you copy and paste something ChatGPT spits out that has your keyword sprinkled in every sentence. That’s why Enji’s AI copywriter asks you for the additional details you want included in your draft—and this is the perfect spot to add your thoughtful and helpful tips.

5. Your human expertise is important! If you are using AI to draft things, don’t be lazy with your prompt, add your expertise, and make sure it’s formatted well

Even if you use AI tools for drafting (and let’s be honest, a lot of us do!), don't overlook the importance of your own personal expertise. If you give AI a lazy prompt like “write a blog post on XYZ”, don’t expect it to deliver anything that your target audience will want to read. 

Crafting detailed prompts and then refining your AI-generated content with your knowledge is more important than ever. But we also know that when it comes to prompting, most small business owners aren’t quite sure what to say. That’s why we created the Enji AI Copywriter to ask questions to “force you” to give us the right information before it can write for you. It makes a huge difference in the result. And we always recommend you review and revise it before hitting publish.

6. Try and be the first to answer new questions in your industry

AI will never know anything first—it’s just a fact. So this is one of the easiest and hardest ways to optimize for AI-driven search (2 things can be true at the same time folks). Staying updated on trends in your industry is the easier part of this equation—being quick to address new questions is the harder part since you kind of have to drop everything and jump on it.  But if you can make this happen, it can help position your brand and website as a go-to resource. Setting up something like Google Alerts can help you stay on top of what’s happening to give you a competitive edge.

7. Prioritize readability

This one is easy; content that is easy to read and understand ranks higher in search results. Use clear headings, short paragraphs, bullet points, and a friendly tone. If you don’t feel like a natural writer, try reading what you’ve written out loud to see how it sounds—trust us, this will help you see where things don’t make sense real quick. Because, if you get stuck saying it, everyone else will get stuck reading it.

8. Take time to learn about structured data 

Whenever we talk about technical SEO, we can practically see your eyes glaze over from across the screen. The truth is though, it’s not that hard. Structured data helps search engines understand your content better and can improve how your site appears in search results. Take some time to familiarize yourself with schema markup and header structures to enhance your site's SEO performance. We break down how to use headings and optimize blog posts in detail here.

9. Make sure your website is optimized

We break down how to optimize your website in 7 steps, so trust us when we say this isn’t hard, but it can make a big difference. You’ll be fighting an uphill battle if you try to create really great content on a website that Google doesn’t trust. Our last tip when it comes to AI and SEO, is to make your life easier by getting your website optimized first.

Leveraging AI and SEO As A Small Business

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to marketing for a small business and staying on top of AI and SEO is one of them if you want to stay competitive. As AI continues to shape the search landscape, small business owners need to adapt quickly to get ahead of these changes. Understanding concepts like SGE, GEO, and AI overviews, and implementing strategies to optimize your content for AI-driven search— it’s going to make all the difference.

Isn’t your plate kind of full already though? What if we told you we could make it easier? Enji makes it easier to keep track of your marketing efforts, including SEO, so you can focus on what you do best. If you’re ready to get some well-deserved help in your business, start your free trial here (and we’ll give you a marketing plan you can use in just minutes).